


Three wishes for Cinderella

by PalawanDreamer



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: 14th Century, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Ballroom Dancing, Christmas, Cinderella - Freeform, Comfort, Dancing, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love, Princes & Princesses, Self-Doubt, Three Wishes for Cinderella, True Love, drei haselnüsse für aschenbrödel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28244748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalawanDreamer/pseuds/PalawanDreamer
Summary: Raquel lives with her stepmother and her stepsister and is treated like a maid. One day the coachman gave her a twig with three hazelnuts to grant her three wishes.When the prince gives a ball, Raquel is supposed to stay at home. But she goes to the ball.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 27
Kudos: 50





	1. The cheeks are stained with ash

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends, this is my first work (which isn’t in my native language). 
> 
> It based on the story of “Three wishes for Cinderella” and is more of a christmas story. 
> 
> I’am going to post a chapter every day and please don’t let you bother by any mistakes. 
> 
> And thanks to Emma for reading this before ly. 
> 
> enjoy <3

The winter in Norway was always cold, but this winter was even colder than usual. Raquel had to do the exhausting work her stepmother, who owned the village were she lived, had given her. After her father’s dead she had to live with her father’s wife and her stepsister. Or as it might be better described, she was more of a slave.

And there she was, with a small bucket full of dusty sheets. She knew, her so-called family was making fun of her right now, but it didn’t even bother her anymore. Unlike a few years ago, when she was a teenager. But now she was a grown woman, ready to take her life into her own hands if only her stepmother would let her.

Of course she also knew that this was impossible without a man. Sometimes she might wish she lived in a world where women were independent and not just to be married and have children. It annoyed her being some kind of object.

The king and the queen were due to arrived soon and everyone was very busy, Raquel too, so she made her way to the kitchen. The king and the queen were always very generous and it was really nice that they paid a visit to their village. And there was their son, the prince. His name was Sergio, and he was really _handsome_.

But now she was in the kitchen. There she saw Anibal, the kitchen-boy, trying to quickly pick up the pieces from a broken plate. She put the basket on the floor and knelt beside him.

“Wait I’ll help you.” She gathered the pieces and saw her stepmother and Laura in the corner of her eye.

“Thank you, Raquel.” Anibal whispered. In the next moment her stepmother came.

“Who did this?” She screamed angrily.

“I did it, mother.” Raquel’s gaze fell on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

Of course her stepmom wouldn’t hurt her physically, that’s because she takes the blame for Anibal’s mistake. _How she always does._ But she hurt her mentally. To her Raquel was nothing more than a unwelcomed stranger. It had become a habit that she was humiliated by her mother and she always pretended to understand her anger. 

She got up, went back to her basket and wanted to continue her work.

Her mother spoke to her. “Why are you doing this? In defiance? Because you can't bear that I'm the mistress here and you are just a simple maid? The days when your father let you ride, when you hunted with him and only did things that boys did, are over now.”

She wasn’t finished yet. “Hm well…like father like daugh-“

Raquel interrupted her. “Don’t talk about father like that ever again!” She snaps back.

“What did you say?”

Raquel froze. _Fuck._ _Why did she say that?_

Her mom turned to her stepsister. “Did you hear how naughty she speaks to me?”

Laura just smiled and then her stepmother walked over to her, took the lentil bowl that was on the table and poured the lentils into the bucket of ash by the stove.

“Until tonight there won't be a single lens in there. Do you hear me?”

“Yes mother” She answered.

…

It was almost afternoon, she was in one of the chambers so as not to disturb the people downstairs. She still had so much work to do. She emptied the bucket and ran her finger through the mixture of ash and lentils. She was lost in her thoughts when she noticed a soft knock on the window. A flock of white doves were outside of the window. She got up, opened the window and let the doves in. One of the doves landed on Raquel’s hand and she stroked it lightly.

“You want to help me?” She smiled happily. “The lentils in the bowl and the ashes in the bucket. Okay?” She wiped a tear from her cheek.

_They came to help her._

So they started separating the lenses from the ashes. “Thank you dears.” She said and left with a smile on her lips. Now that she had time, she went to her horse for a ride.

She was in the stable now and went to the last box. There stood her horse, which her father had given her once.

She caressed it. “Oh Nikolaus, you’re the only one who understand me.”

…

By the time the king and the queen arrived at the village. They were pleasant received, except Raquel, after she was forbidden by her stepmother. She wanted to use the opportunity to introduce her daughter Laura, after she found out that the prince was about to get married soon.

“It is a honor to have you here.” They bowed.

“The pleasure is mine.” The king responded.

“This is my daughter Laura.” She said with a toxic smile, but the king seemed less interested.

They talked and ate a lot. Even if Raquel’s stepmother and Laura were a bit disappointed that the prince wasn’t there.

…

Raquel used the distraction to slip away with her horse, and enjoy the wintry forest. She loved these lonely rides through the woods. It was snowing and a snowflake landed right on the tip of raquel's nose. She looked around dreamily when she heard something that brought her back to reality.

It was _the Prince_. He was hunting with his companions.

Sergio spotted a doe. “This time I’ll catch it.” He was aiming but then the Prince’s crossbow shot was foiled by a snowball.

Andres and Martin came to him and looked at him in surprise. “What was that?” Andres asked.

Sergio was confused. “I don’t know, maybe…” He let his gaze wander through the forest and spotted Raquel’s tiny figure behind a large brend of a fir tree.

Sergio saw that the girl was running away so he shouted “After her!” The three of them ran quickly after her. She was very fast and soon the Prince lost sight of her.

Raquel let out a sigh of relief when she managed to flee. _That was a close one._ She thought.

“We need to split up.” Sergio said to Martin and Andres and they agreed. After that they went their separate ways.  
  


Her heart was beating faster with every step, until she realized that the Prince was standing right in front of her. She looked him directly in his eyes.

_Was he mad at her? What if he was? What would he do?_ But then something unexpected happened. _He smiled_

“Well thrown. Respect.” There was no anger or annoyance in his eyes. He was just nice.

_“_ Thank you.” She chuckled. “I just couldn’t have borne it if you shot that innocent doe.”

“I understand. But if you couldn’t stand it, why don’t you just look away?” He teased.

She laughed softly. “Seriously?”

_“_ What? It was just an idea.” He said and looked at her smiling. “You uhm... you have something on your cheek. May I?” He pointed at her cheek, which still had some ash on it. “Sure.” She smiled.

He was about to explode when she allowed him to touch her. His hand slowly went to her face and then... his thumb touched her cheek. _Wow._ Her skin was so _soft_ and despite the cold, comfortably _warm_. He rubbed his thumb several times across her cheek until the ash was gone. “Thank you.” Raquel said dreamily

“You’re the Prince, don’t you?” She asked. “I guess so.” Sergio looked around shyly. Raquel smiled. Everyone described him as a cold and rough person, but she couldn’t agree with that at all. He was really _nice_ and _gentle_ towards her.

“Shouldn’t you be then with the king and queen?” Raquel was curious.

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Why are you not with them?”

Sergio looked over her as they slowly walked trough the woods. “To be honest…” he pauses. “ I think I’m not ready to be a king anytime soon.” He looked at the ground.

They talked a little longer but it didn’t took long until Sergio spotted Martin and Andres and ran towards them. “Hey guys, I’ve found her!” He turned around and was about to introduce them to each other, when he noticed she was _gone._


	2. A hat with a feather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter!! Let me know if you like it.
> 
> And thanks to Emma again <3
> 
> enjoy.

“Who did you find?” Andres wondered. “She… the girl… the girl with the snowball.” Sergio answered. “We talked… and… it was nice.”

“You talked?” Andres raised one eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Sergio smiled a little. Martin seemed also interested now. “What’s her name?” Sergio looked up. Martin grimaced “Oh come on. You didn’t even asked her name?” Sergio shook his head. “Oh boy…” Andres laughed.

…

By the time the king and the queen were leaving the village. Raquel, who ran away in fear, came home with Nikolaus. She wasn’t scared of Sergio at all, neither of his companions. But the very thought of speaking to all of them made her insecure. But if it were up to her, she would talked to the Prince _forever._

It was so easy to be with him, so natural, without trouble.

If it was true that he was getting married soon, then it should be someone who really deserved and _loved_ him.

…

Sergio decided to join his parents on their way back to the castle, so he rode on his horse next to the carriage.

“Where have you been?” His father asked annoyed. “You were supposed to be there with us.” His mother added.

“I know.” He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle.

“And that should be one day my successor…” The king mumbled.

But he was just scared. He would have given anything to live as freely and without rules as the girl. That girl whose name he didn't even know. He would like to slap himself for not asking. The thought of never seeing her again made him sick, even if they had only talked for a few minutes.

But it was so easy to be with her, so natural, without trouble.

…

“Mirko, listen! You have to get me and Laura a lot of things from town. New dresses, necklaces and earrings.” Raquel’s mother handed the servant a list. “And hurry up, we have to get it soon, we can’t be late for the ball.” She made a gesture that he should go now.

Mirko was on his way into town when he saw Raquel. She washed the laundry in an icy stream. He stopped his sledge. “What are you doing here Raquel?” He asked with a sad smile on his lips.

Raquel’s hands were icy, she thought she was going to freeze to death any minute. She just wore a dress that couldn’t keep the cold. When she looked at Mirko, she wiped away a tear that she didn’t even noticed before, because she was so cold.

“My mother forced me to do.” She said weakly. Mirko felt sorry for her, he knew how terrible her stepmother treated her after her father’s death, and so he decided to do her a favor. “Raquel, should I buy you something from town too?” He smiled at her. “No, please don’t. I’m fine.” Raquel answered.

“It won’t be any trouble.”

Raquel chuckled softly. “Okay then… bring me that whatever hits you on the nose.”

“Sure.” Mirko smiled and continued his route.

…

Meanwhile in the castle, Sergio was talking to his parents. He didn’t want to marry a stranger, he didn’t want to become a king, everything was way too much for him.

Actually he would want to spend the whole day in the forest. He would go hunting and then not hit the animal because it would be chased away by the snowball from _that girl._ And there was the thought again. The thought of _her._ Was she thinking of him? No… definitely not. Why should she think of him? She ran away before he could even ask her name.

What Sergio didn’t know, the girl he was thinking of, did the same about him.

She was happily walking through the woods. Raquel thought of the conversation with the prince, earlier that day.

Soon she was at home and brought the laundry back.

…

After hearing his father’s plans to force him to be become engaged at the ball, Sergio headed back to the woods. With the crossbow over his shoulder he looked around to see if there was an animal. But instead of an animal he saw Mirko.

Mirko was on the way home in his sled. The landscape he passed seemed almost hypnotic and after a couple of minutes he fell asleep. Using his crossbow, Sergio mischievously shoots a bird’s nest from a tree branch, which was right above Mirko. So it falls on his face. Sergio covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh.

Mirko was startled and stared at the nest that had just hit his nose. “I almost forgot you.” He mumbled and took out a twig with three hazelnuts. He decided that will be Raquel’s gift.

In the village everyone was in a rush and had many things to do. So did Raquel. She was with her stepmother, who was preparing for the ball with her daughter. She had to the admit that they both wore elegant dresses, even if her mother’s headdress didn’t quite suit her taste. She thought and giggled softly.

When Mirko came back and handed over the fabrics and jewelry, he quickly went to Raquel, who was sweeping up the ashes next to the fireplace.

“Here that’s for you.” He showed her the hazelnuts and put them in her hand.

“Thank you, Mirko.” Raquel smiled grateful and took a closer look at them. “They’re beautiful.”

Her mother came up to her with a terrifying look and took it away from her. “What’s that?” Raquel only looked at her and said nothing. “Hm… it fits better for a squirrel.” Her mother smirked and turned to Laura.

“Think so too, mom.” Laura grinned.

Raquel took her gift back and ignored the laughter. Raquel continued with her work and Laura noticed that Mirko had forgotten something, so they made their own way into town. Raquel’s stepmother punished her for impatience again by forcing her to separate corn kernels from lentils. But once again the doves enter to help her.

She visited her pet owl in her cozy hiding place near the forest. “Hey Rosalie..” she smiled at her owl. “Oh, I wish I had the same freedom to come and go whenever I want…” She caressed her lightly. “Look what Mirko brought me.” She showed her the hazelnuts. “Will you take care of them for me?”

She was about to put them next to her owl when one of them fell. Raquel looked a little closer when she saw something different on the hazelnut. She picked it up and pulled on the cloth-like thing, sticking out of the hazelnut. A few moments later, she had complete outfit in her hand.

“That’s a… a hunter’s outfit _._ Is that for me?” She looked at the owl. “Now I can go hunting like a few years ago!” Her eyes were shining bright when she put it on.

It was green and brown colored robe with leather boots and _a hat with a feather._

“Rosalie I’ll be back soon.” She waved her goodbye and went back to her.


	3. A silk dress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy!! Merry Merry Christmas to everyone! 🎄♥️
> 
> I hope you have or had a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy the time with your family and friends and stay healthy. 
> 
> What I haven't said here yet, for updates and other things you can follow me on twitter, my username is palawandreamerr. 
> 
> And again thanks to Emma <3
> 
> Hope u like this chapter, see u tomorrow!

The trees were covered with snow and the small lakes were frozen. Raquel looked up at the sky and remembered the days when she was almost every day in the woods with her father.

Back then they did it to feel free and to escape this cruel and brutal world. Deep in her thoughts she almost didn’t noticed the bird. It flew very high and she took it as a challenge. So she aimed her crossbow and shot.

To her amazement, the bird fell to the ground. She felt sorry for it for a moment, but that was the point of hunting. And there it was, the feeling. The feeling of _freedom_ , of _happiness_. The feeling she has when she was with her father, when they were together in the forest. When he taught her to ride, or how to shoot with a crossbow.

Raquel wanted to know where the bird was, so she got off her horse and walked a few steps until she came to a clearing. There she saw other people. She was probably not the only one who decided to go hunting that day.

There were about twenty or thirty people.

_Why do you go hunting with so many people?_

There were also a lot of dogs. They were almost more dogs than people. She looked a little closer and looked at each face and then she saw him. _The prince._ Was that fate? She never really believed in fate but now it seemed so true. Now all she had to do was muster up the courage to say that she was the one who shot the bird that everyone was amazed at.

Sergio held up the arrow. “Who owns this arrow?” With this words Raquel shots it from the Prince’s hand.

“Wait, what?!” Martin picked up the arrow and examined the other arrow that was perfectly shot through the other.

“It’s mine.” A female voice said. Everyone, even the prince turned to her. But it did not seem like Sergio recognizing her as the girl he met yesterday in the forest.

Martin looked shocked “You..?”

“Yes, me. Why are you wondering?” She crossed her arms.

“Well you’re a woman or rather a _girl_.”

“So what? Why couldn’t a woman have shot this bird?” Sergio watched the whole situation from behind, before he noticed what this hunter had actually won. He looked at her. “May I give you this ring here?” Her eyes sparkled. He took Raquel’s hand and put the ring on her finger. “I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you.” She smiled gratefully.

They asked her to do better by shooting a pine cone from the top of a tree. She did and everyone marveled at her marksmanship. Raquel slipped unnoticed away.

…

It was almost evening when Raquel came home with her horse. Her stepmother and Laura were leaving in any minute when she came and stood between Anibal and Mirko.

Of course she was hurt, she wanted to go to the ball. And now knowing the prince, she wanted it even more. The last thing he deserved was her stupid stepsister.

“Don’t be sad, if you want we can dance together tonight.” Anibal said ant looked at her with a goofy smile.

Raquel only looked at him in hurt and then went upstairs quickly.

_She cried_. 

She cried because it should be her _moment_. It should be her _night_. It should be her _dance with the prince._ Her mother once said to her that she would be looking like a princess, at her first ball. She promised her she would make her the most beautiful dress for the ball. _A pink silk dress_ with a long veil.

She decided to go to her owl. So she saddled her horse and set off. When she got to her little hiding place, she looked at her owl and smiled sadly.

Then she remembered that the day before she had put the _hazelnuts_ next to Rosalie. “Should we open another one?” She asked quietly. Raquel took the blink from her owl, as a yes. So she dropped it on the floor.

And then, in a magical way, the hazelnut turned into a lavish ball gown. She could hardly believe her eyes. _Was that a ball gown?_ She ran her fingers over the fabric. Then Raquel picked it up and looked at it with tears in her eyes.

“Is this for me? It’s so beautiful.” She held it and took a few steps and imagined she was already dancing.

When she had it on, she went downstairs and looked at Nikolaus who was already mysteriously saddled with a ornate sidesaddle. “Who saddled you?” She asked in surprise and smiled at the though, how good life could be.

She caressed her horse. “Okay then, let’s go.”

…

And there she was in her long pink gown, ready to go to the ball. So she left her horse in front of the castle and went up the long stairway in front of the building. She wanted to look through a window first and luckily she found one. 

And there she saw him. The prince... how he danced with Laura. He smiled. And she too. They both seemed to enjoy the dance very much. She had tears in her eyes when she saw them. And suddenly she wasn’t sure at all if she should go inside. She wasn’t sure if the prince would recognize her or if he would even notice her.

Raquel just wanted to look through the window one more time. She saw that the prince was now dancing with someone else. She looked nice, it would definitely have been a better decision to marry her, than her stepsister.

She went quickly back to her horse.

She wanted to _cry_.

How could she believe that she could just go to the ball? How could she believe she was going to dance with the prince? How could she believe it would all be fate? How could she be so stupid?

After all she was just a simple housemaid. Not a princess or someone who would have been enough for him. Maybe she was also a little glad that she hadn't gone. Maybe the prince would have made her his wife and after a while she wouldn't be enough for him and he would have regretted it. She didn't want to imagine seeing him unhappy because of her. She would feel so guilty that she had ruined his life.

She ran down the stairs and took her horse.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked Nikolaus between little sobs. The horse turned his head away as she tried to leave with him.

“Oh come on. What do you want? Do you want me to go in there? No way.” But Nikolaus pushed her back towards the stairs.

She took a deep breath. “Okay…” Raquel let fate decide for her, and so she started counting the rungs of the railing. “I’m going… I’m not going... I’m going... I’m not going...” She reached the last rung and realized that she had to go after all.

_“I’m going.”_

She said sternly and went upstairs again.


	4. Tell me who you are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so so sorry i'm posting this so late today. 
> 
> But I hope you all had a nice Christmas so far and even if it was a little different this year, that you still enjoyed it. 
> 
> Thanks to Emma <33
> 
> have fun ♥️

This time she went faster. She didn't want to hide anymore, even if it was only for tonight.

Then a lot of questions came into her head. What would the prince think of her? Would he recognize her? No, certainly not, he must have already forgotten her and their conversation from yesterday. 

But it was completely different from what Raquel thought. Quite the opposite.

…

_A few minutes before._

Sergio, who obviously had no interest in the whole situation, stood between his parents and greeted the guests at the ball with them. Maybe he hoped to recognize the face of the girl from the forest in some woman, but none of the faces looked familiar to him. They all wore very beautiful dresses and the women and girls weren't ugly either, but his thoughts were somewhere else.

He dreamed of how he would dance with her. He would put his hands on the sides of her hips and would drawn her close to him. Their faces would be so close that he could feel her hot breath on his lips. And then he would...

_Okay okay…Sergio you have to focus._

How could he find a wife when he fantasized about kissing someone else. His marriage would fail sooner or later, and it was all his fault. But wait, there is another way... His marriage wouldn't fail if he found that girl and asked her if she wanted to be his wife.

_Yes that should work._

But what... What if she doesn't want to? What if she doesn't remember him? What if the conversation between the two of them meant nothing to her at all? What if...

“Sergio??” His father brought him back to reality. “You should choose a dance partner now, huh?” He pointed at the women who were all standing in a row in the huge hall.

“Uh yeah, sure.”

“Which one will you take?” His father was curious.

“I don’t know. If I would say I care, that’s a lie. I just close my eyes so everyone has an equal chance.” And with this words, he went off with his eyes closed. He walked for a while and then stopped. He opened his eyes slowly. In front of him was a tall woman in a red dress. He was a little frightened, this woman was almost broader than him. And seriously? He didn't like it at all.

But before he could say anything she took his hand and walked with him into the middle of the hall and began to dance very quickly and roughly.

It was clear who was leading here.

At that moment he wished once more that the girl from the forest would show up so that he could dance with her. He was sure that a dance with _her_ would be more pleasant and enjoyable, than his current dance.

Luckily the dance was over faster than he thought and so he switched his dance partner with Martin. He gave her a small kiss on the hand and they started dancing. At least it was a little slower this time. But the girl was obviously looking for a conversation with him. Can it get actually more worse? Now he also should talk, while he was dancing?

“It is really a great honor for me to dance with you. My name is Laura.” She said with a big smile on her lips.

“I’m Sergio.” He mirrored her smile helplessly.

“I know.” Laura didn’t stop smiling and Sergio began to feel more and more uncomfortable. He noticed that Laura was getting closer and closer. _Wait_ was she about to kiss him? 

_No no no_.

Yes, he had fantasized about kissing about half an hour ago. But certainly not with her!

So he decided to do it quickly. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” Then he walked quickly out of the room and let the crowd look behind him. “Let him go.” The queen whispered to her husband. “He’ll come back.”

Sergio went outside the building to get some air. He went out of the castle. He was so in thought that he almost ran into another person.

He looked down a bit because the girl in front of him was much shorter than him. And then it hit him like _lightning_. 

There she was. He looked deep into her eyes. God he would never forget those hazel eyes. And she was so beautiful in this long dress. He wanted to cry. He thanked all the gods of this world who made his prayers, to see her again, come true.

That was _destiny_.

He took her hands in his and smiled sadly. “You are here.” 

“Yes.” She nodded smiling.

At that moment he really wondered something. How could you miss someone so much when you've only known them for one day? Sergio thought about it for a few moments until Raquel's word interrupted his thoughts. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be there?” She pointed at the building.

“Um… I needed a some fresh air.”

“Will you go back?” She asked innocently.

“I’m not sure.”

“Too bad I thought I could dance with you tonight.” Raquel said.

“Well although I think I'll go.” He pauses. “But only if you promise to dance with me for the rest of the evening.” Sergio smiled and she laughed softly.

“I promise.”

With these words the two went hand in hand towards the entrance of the ball. When they entered the hall, all eyes were on them. The music stopped playing briefly and it was quiet. Raquel could have sworn if gazes could kill she would have died countless times that evening.

“Why ins’t the music playing?”

Sergio waved to the musicians. They came to their senses and continued playing. The other people started dancing too and soon everyone was distracted again and Sergio and Raquel were now in their own little love bubble. 

Both looked into each other's eyes to find their peace there. Raquel felt Sergio drawing her close to him with his hands on her hips. Their noses almost touched and Raquel could feel his hot breath on her lips. Suddenly she had a very definite urge.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sergio, who whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to running down her spine. “Won’t you finally tell me your name?”

“Do you want to dance, or question me?”

“Both.” He smirked.

He didn’t give up. “Come on. _Tell me who you are.”_

Raquel just smiled and shook her head.

“But that's unfair, you know exactly who I am. And I don't even know your name.” But it was about _patience_. Sooner or later he would know, she thought. They kept dancing for a few more minutes and both enjoyed it very much.

“Won’t you finally tell me who you are?” He asked shyly.

“Why do you want me to answer you?”

“Because right now I’v chosen my wife.” He said with the truest smile she’d ever seen.


	5. The beautiful princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of my little Christmas story, I hope you enjoyed it. 💞
> 
> If you don't know the movie, it's on Netflix (but I don't know in which countries or which languages it's available). 
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter (@palawandreamerr) and Instagram(@lcdp_scenes). but i think i'm more active on insta. sry for self promo haha. 😅
> 
> Anyway, have fun reading this chapter and yes, the next story will be on January 2nd, 2021!! 
> 
> and thanks also to emma who always keeps checking the chapters. love u.
> 
> well then, see you next year <33

Sometimes unexpected things happen in the moments where you least expect them. In the moments we would say that it was destiny. But actually the whole life is fate, right?

Raquel looked up at him. Did he just propose to her? She gave him a look of disbelief. Was that really happening? Has the prince really asked her to become his wife? 

“But... but I thought you already chose your wife...” She said with a confused look.

“What? No.” He shook his head.

“But… I saw you with Laura and… you already looked so… I don’t know… in _love_?”

He brought one of his hands to her cheek and lightly caressed it with his thumb. “I will never choose anyone, but _you_.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she pulled him in for a hug. She buried her nose in his shoulder and inhaled his scent with every breath. For the first time in a long time, she felt at home. She wasn't thinking at the moment about who might see her like that or who was talking about her or whoever is doing something that would normally bother her.

At this moment, only the other existed. Nobody else. They were in their own little world and nothing could get them out of there. Raquel had the feeling that she could not think anymore. And this fact wasn’t even bad. It was a wonderful feeling. And soon it was clear to her, this feeling was love.

After a few minutes, she slowly pulled away. They looked deep in each other’s eyes. Her hands were still on his neck because of their hug. His hands were no longer on her hips, now they were on her cheeks. She ran her fingers through his beard and saw how he looked at her lips, then back in her eyes.

So she closed her eyes and let it happen.

She wouldn’t have dreamed that she would once dance with the prince, that he wanted to marry her, and that she was about to kiss him in this moment. It was not just only the fact that he was a prince. It was much more than that. He was such a gentle and respectful man to her, which she could never have imagined. She didn’t deserve him.

But then her thoughts were interrupted by him. She felt his _warm_ and _tender_ lips against hers. First it was a _soft_ kiss, but then she allowed his tongue entrance. Now time really stood still, she wanted nothing more than that this moment could last _forever_.

Their foreheads still touched when they parted.

“What do you say?” He whispered.

“What do I say about what?” She had already forgotten the matter, because of the kiss.

“Will you marry me?”

She looked deep into his eyes and knew that he was being honest, but was he really sure? 

He didn't know _anything_ about her. What if he regretted it? What if he is disappointed when he learns that she is just a maid? What if she only imagines his feelings towards her and he really only takes her because he didn’t found anyone better?

All of these thoughts were floating around in her head. She had to be sure. So she said: “First you have to solve a riddle.”

“Alright.” The prince seemed motivated.

“My _cheeks are stained with ashes_ , but I’m not a chimney sweep. My _hat_ has a _feather_ , but I’m not a hunter. I wear a woven _silk dress_ but I’m not a princess. Who I am?”

Sergio looked at her confused, but he tried it. Raquel saw how he considered hard, several minutes. But then, after some time, he looked at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry but… I don’t know.”

She looked sadly on the ground. _Of course it had come to this._ How could it ever came to her mind? As if she really could marry the prince

Tears formed in her eyes. “As long as you don’t know the solution, I can’t answer your question.” She pushed herself away.

An unpleasant cold hit her at the body parts where he had his warm and strong hands before. “I’m sorry Sergio…” With these words, she her way towards the door.

Sergio stood speechless in the middle of the room. It was a bitter sweet taste, he had heard her say his name for the first time, and suddenly he realized that it was what he wanted to hear for the _rest of his life._ He wanted to _marry_ her. And he had to find her. No matter how long it would take, no matter how much strength it would cost, he had to find her.

Now he had to react quickly. So he ran after her, Martin and Andres followed him. Now they stood outside in the snow and saw her as she rode away.

“Get the horses!”

Sergio screamed. He ran down the long stairway to get on his horse and then saw something sparkling on one of the steps. That had to be her shoe. He took it in his hand and put it in his pocket.

The next few minutes passed quickly. Sergio didn't know exactly what he was feeling. The only thing he knew was that he had to find her. As fast as _possible_.

They always saw her and her white horse about a hundred meters away when they followed her. Soon they saw her riding through a gate. It looked like she lived there, so she couldn't be far. Now Sergio was confident. When he meets her, then he would tell her everything and solve the riddle, even if it would take his whole life. _Maybe she would help him._

Then they arrived at the gate of the village. He noticed it was locked so he pounded on it. “Hey open up! Open the gate!” Suddenly the gate opened and Martin, Andres and Sergio stood in the middle of a courtyard. They stared into the amazed faces of several people.

“Who is the owner of this village?” Sergio asked.

Mirko respond. “She is at the ball with her daughter. Why? What do you want from her?”

“I saw a princess ride into this village.”

“A princess?” Mirko said and everyone started laughing out loud. Sergio was amazed. _Why were they laughing?_ _Did he have something on his face?_ “Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?”

“No no it's just... a princess? Here? I think you are at the wrong place... I`m sorry but… no princess lives here.” He gave him an apologetic look.

“I don’t know if she’s a princess but she is beautiful.” Sergio said.

“Well, we have a lot of beauties here.” The coachman jokingly pointed to some of the women who, Sergio thought, were just like those at the ball. All in a row, just waiting for him.

“Okay then… whoever this shoe fits will be my wife.” Sergio said and risked a lot with it. But the shoe was really _really_ small so he doubted that it would fit anyone else, but her. So he went around to try the shoe on every woman and girl. As he expected, it didn’t fit anyone in the slightest.

While the prince was trying to find out who the shoe belonged to, another carriage arrived in the village. Raquel’s stepmother and Laura were back from the ball. But to their surprise, the prince was here too. And finally some things became clear to Raquel’s stepmother. The beautiful princess who drew everyone's attention at the ball was Raquel. She was the one who danced with the prince all night, and she was the one the prince was searching for at that moment.

So she said to her daughter. “Come on Laura, we have to find Raquel. I have a plan.” And they went upstairs.

…

Sergio was slowly becoming desperate. The shoe still didn’t fit anyone. “Are you sure these are all woman who live her?” He asked. “Yes… but wait… no. Of course not! There is Raquel!” Everyone agreed. “How could we forget her.” Mirko said.

_Raquel…_ so that was her name. Sergio felt how a little bit of hope was spreading inside him. He had to find her. So everyone in the village started searching for Raquel. They looked in all the rooms, in all the chambers and in all the stables, but she was nowhere to be found.

But then Sergio looked down from a small window onto the courtyard. He saw her. She got into a carriage with the mistress. He ran down the stairs as fast as he could, until he was standing in front of the carriage. He wanted to go to her but the mistress stopped him.

What Sergio didn't know was that the girl in the carriage wasn't Raquel at all. It turned out to be Laura in Raquel's dress.

In the meantime, the real Raquel managed to slip away unnoticed. She was soon in her little hideaway near the forest. She looked at her owl and at the last hazelnut. She took a deep breath and tossed the nut on the floor.

She opened her eyes very slowly and then she saw it, a sparkling _wedding dress_. She couldn’t believe it and looked at her owl with gratitude in her eyes. 

_Well_ now she really wanted to get married.

When Raquel arrived back in the village she saw sergio from a distance as he was standing next to mriko. He really didn't look happy. She felt so sorry for him, but she promised herself to improve his mood later.

Then she heard Anibal "Look there!” He pointe at her.

Now Sergio looked at her too and saw how she rode on Nikolaus in his direction. Sergio couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw her there. _He had found her._ Or rather, _she found him._

He went to her and... she was wearing a wedding dress. A beautiful, long, white, wedding dress. He was speechless and put one of his hands on her dress and ran his fingers lightly over the fabric. He didn't notice, a single tear rolling down his cheek because he was so overwhelmed by her.

“I see you made your decision.” He whispered.

“Yes, but you still have to answer my question. “ Raquel said chuckling. Sergio thought for a moment but then it became clear to him. 

“Your cheeks are stained with ash, but it’s not a chimney sweep. By that you meant yourself, a few days ago in the forest, when we met for the first time. Your hat has a feather but you’re not a hunter. That was you when you shot the bird. And... a silk dress, but you’re not a princess, you meant yourself too. On the ball tonight.” She nodded.

“The answer is _you,_ Raquel.”

And with these words he took her off her horse and kissed her deeply.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very welcome. ♥️


End file.
